How to Maintain Digestive Health during the Holidays
by Jan Fiore
As major food holidays approach with the colder weather, we tend to exercise less and eat a lot more food of the sort that can clog our digestive system. How does each doshic type handle this?
Vata, being light, mobile, dry and rough, is associated with the element of Air/Ether, and for Vata, each hot, filling meals is grounding. Vata-dominant people will tend to have a lot of activities going on, may have trouble keeping track of all of them and most likely skip meals, leading to snacking on foods that provoke vata, such as popcorn, crackers, munchies, washed down with a caffeinated and/or bubbly beverage. Does this sound like your M.O.?
Fall is particularly aggravating to vata, so especially in November as it gets cold, excess vata can create feelings of being overwhelmed, confused, with an inability to focus, and may also manifest more physically as gas in the digestive track and/or constipation. The best way to counteract this time of year for vata individuals is to try the following:
-Schedule your meals at regular times, eating something that pacifies vata every 2-3 hours, such as warm, home-cooked foods that are lightly spiced and have some moisture content.
-Go to bed by 10:30 or 11 pm so you can get 8 hours of sleep
-Use Vata Massage Oil as part of your daily abhyanga (Ayurveda self-massage) and apply it to the tops of your feet, your belly and middle of your forehead each night before bed. Sesame oil can be substituted for Vata Massage Oil if need be.
-Just like when you pack for a trip, take or do half of what you'd like to be doing or feel like you have to be doing.
-Make time each afternoon, maybe just 10-20 minutes between 3-6 pm to rest, maybe in yoga's corpse pose ("shavasana").
-If you experience constipation, I recommend using Triphala ("three fruits") a traditional Ayurvedic formula to support and balance the bowels in addition to avoiding foods with sugar and dairy, and including foods with more fiber. Hingvastak can be used to increase digestive fire. Exercise is also a must to maintain bowel health!
Pitta type individuals tend to be very physically active anyway and it's easier for them to maintain a healthy weight despite all the calorie-heavy, rich offerings this time of year. For Pitta, the challenge may be to not focus so much on checking off the tasks on their to-do lists and to allow themselves to enjoy the season. Because Pitta has so much fire already, late Fall and Winter doesn't phase them as much as it does the other two doshas.
Kapha individuals may find the tempting sweet taste of holiday foods too tempting and may also eat due to emotions this time of year. For Kapha, it's important to refrain from overdoing the sugary foods because this doshic type is the most vulnerable to its consequences. Staying active physically, keeping your spirits up, and choosing foods that pacifiy Kapha would be a good strategy. Foods that pacify Kapha would have light, dry qualities and be spicy and/or astringent taste.
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